I hand the clerk our reservation forms and in exchange boarding cards and an assortment of anti-nausea medication was firmly pressed into the palm of my hand. So far, it was just as the brochure had promised: A picture perfect day, glasslike aquamarine water, and our sleek, modern, and ultrafast catamaran was docked and ready to whisk us away.

I was near heady with the romantic anticipation of travelling at high speed in luxury while gazing out over the expansive Coral Sea, visions of playful dolphins racing along side as we made our way to Heron Island. Lost in this constructed utopian thought, I clutched the small pills which should have been the clue of the real adventure that was about to unfold.

Once past the shelter of the harbour, the Reef Voyager accelerates dramatically with exhilarating speed. Mere minutes into our journey we discover that a catamaran can actually become airborne as it hurdles and bounces itself like a bucking bronco over the waves. The Reef Voyager was claiming the stomachs of more than a few passengers today. The captain's announcement of our imminent arrival feels like near spiritual salvation.

When you're green to the gills, your body's natural response when stepping onto land is to draw in a deep cleansing breath of air to calm the demons in your belly. This would work if you weren't greeted with the overwhelming stench of bird guano that is powerful enough to give your nostrils a full Brazilian at no extra charge.

When the brochure stated that Australia's Heron Island was rich with bird life, they failed to mention that 100,000 Black Noddy Terns would migrate during December to this small seventeen hectare coral cay island paradise. My first mental note was to never look up with my mouth open.

Directly outside our room was a small tree that was home to about fifty of these nesting Terns. Luckily, the two sliding doors off the patio offered an ocean breeze that gave us some reprieve from the astringent smell of the bird guano.

In fact, it actually gave us a unique opportunity to observe these sleek black birds and to appreciate their docile behaviour without needing to carry an umbrella or plug our noses.

Perhaps things were looking up for us and we could venture out and explore the rest of the resort and beaches.

The resort is laid out as a series of buildings, with each offering stunning vistas of the ocean. They're connected by a boardwalk and series of groomed dirt pathways.

The lounge is contemporary and the glass walls completely open up towards the ocean. I could envision relaxing in the comfy deep-seated chairs with a cold beverage after a long day of snorkelling.

The kids fell in love with the pool that overlooks the turquoise ocean. Off the side of the boardwalk is a crystal clear natural tidal pool where during the early evening hours when the tide has come in you can spot all sorts of marine life such as stingrays, wrasse, and even the occasional shark.

It feels surreal to know that tomorrow morning, with my husband as our guide and teacher, the kids and I will be attempting our first snorkel ever in this magnificent setting.

Being an insomniac at the best and worst of times, much to my amazement I found my eyes closing the second my head made contact with the pillow. It was to be one of the best nights sleep that I had in a very long time. I woke feeling rejuvenated and even found myself whistling along with those Black Noddy Terns outside.

I could barely wait for the Marine Centre to open so that we could get ourselves outfitted with snorkelling gear.

Our wetsuits and gear make us feel like a pack of seals. I seriously hope a shark won't mistake us for a tasty meal.

We submerge our masked faces into the warm, clear water and swam out along the jetty to discover the real beauty of this island actually lies below the surface of the ocean.

It's an underwater universe with coral gardens, flourishing marine life both big and small, in an abundance of colour far beyond my wildest imagination. I now understand why Jacques Cousteau named one of the dive sites here, The Heron Bommie, as being one of his top 10 favourite dive locations.

Heading back toward shore, with a child in either hand we float over a smooth bank of white sand and a mere six feet below us is a pod of a dozen or more stingrays hovering in the oceans gentle current.

The vision was an expansion of consciousness and the rare opportunity to share it with my children brings tears to my goggled eyes. Now I wish we could stay here forever.

The next three days were exactly as I envisioned our trip to Heron Island would be. We observed giant Loggerhead turtles come to shore to lay their eggs in the moonlight, we spent hours snor kelling, and when the tide was low we went on long reef walks where small sharks, sea cucumbers and a host of other marine life was easily spotted among the anemones and coral. It was ecotourism at its finest.

Sadly the final day soon came and the staff kindly reminded us not to forget our an tinau sea medication before departing for the voyage home.

We waited in queue for the clerk behind the counter who is doling out the small pills for eagerly awaiting palms. We pop them into our mouths and hope they do a better job this time.

Somehow the impending voyage feels like a very small price to pay for having experienced one of the best and most memorable vacations of my life.

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